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Muhammad Ali Essay, Research Paper

Muhammad Ali is
one of the most recognized faces on planet Earth; known not just for
being one of the best fighters in the history of boxing, but for
being one of the most knowledgeable persons of the twentieth century.
Ali wasn’t always known by that name though, he was born Cassius
Marcellus Clay on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, him and
his younger brother Rudolph had many small conflicts like any
brothers would have, but they were, and still are blessed with having
a very close relationship (Hauser, 2).

Twelve-year-old
Cassius was turned on to boxing after his brand-new bike was stolen
at an annual Black fair called The Louisville Home Show (Jet). Joe
Martin, a policeman who taught young kids how to box, was in a
basement by the fair and after Cassius complained to him that he was
going to “whup the person who stole his prized red-and-white
Schwinn”(Jet). Officer Martin decided to push the frustrated
youngster towards boxing. Six weeks later Cassius would win a
three-minute, three-round split decision in his very first match
(Hauser 7).

Clay became more
committed to boxing, fighting 108 amateur bouts, winning six Kentucky
Golden Gloves Championships, two National Golden Gloves tournaments,
and two National AAU titles (Ebony). Then the 1960 Rome Olympics
came; a hesitant Cassius was afraid to travel over there in an
airplane, but he eventually gave in and went, returning to America as
a gold medal winner. Clay then came out with his very first published
poem.

After winning
the gold medal in the 1960 Rome Olympics, eighteen-year-old Cassius
Clay was ready to turn pro. He still kept Fred Stoner, the man who
trained him as an amateur as trainer, but after his first win against
an overmatched part-time fighter named Tunney Hunsaker, Clay switched
to the late Archie Moore, who was still an active fighter (Tyers,15).
They had a falling out though and Clay ended up meeting the popular
Angelo Dundee. Eight days after the two began training with each
other, Clay knocked out Herb Siler in the fourth round (Tyers,15).

Clay fought many
successful bouts after that; he began to do what no boxer has ever
done in the history of the sport: predicting the round in which he
would win. Although he was knocked down a couple of times against
Sonny Banks and Henry Cooper, the up-and-coming boxer was too quick
and smart for any opponent. He even knocked out his former trainer
Archie Moore in four rounds.

Next up was
Sonny Liston, the World Champ who was then the equivalent to Mike
Tyson in the late ’80s (Jet). Clay began to tease Liston, making
fun of his looks and even predicting that he would demolish the champ
in eight rounds. Very few believed that Clay had a chance; Liston
thought nothing of the loudmouth youngster and trained for a quick
two-round fight (Jet). Liston did not know that he was to face an
opponent who was too fast and untouchable for him. After fighting a
fierce puncher while being temporarily blinded in the fifth round,
Clay would use his quick fists to annoy the champ so bad that he
refused to come out of the corner for the seventh round. Clay shook
up the world and became the new World Heavyweight Champion, but he
would shake up the world again two days later after announcing that
he had joined the Nation Of Islam, becoming Muhammad Ali (Jet).

The year of ‘64
was a big year for Muhammad Ali; after becoming World Champ and
changing his religion and name, he was quickly becoming the most
identifiable and the most outspoken athlete in the world (Hauser,
20). Muhammad was seen a lot in public with the well-known leader
Malcolm X, and many Americans wondered why a “good boy” would
stoop so low. They continued to call him Cassius Clay and rooted for
him to lose in upcoming matches, but Ali continued to be unstoppable
in the ring.

In the summer of
that same year, Ali married the beautiful Sonji Roi, a cocktail
waitress and model, but Sonji’s conflict with him being extremely
loyal with the Nation Of Islam caused them to get their marriage
annulled after the controversial rematch with Liston in ‘65
(Ebony). Ali’s well-known “Phantom Punch” that knocked Liston
out in the first round made the critics cry foul. Even former champ
Joe Louis had a negative view of the Muslim boxer, stating that he
was part of a racist organization and that he lacked the skills to
compete with past greats like him and Rocky Marciano (Ebony). The
next opponent, Floyd Patterson, had the same views toward Ali, but he
eventually paid the price by being destroyed in a 12-round bout. The
horrible 1966 match vs. Ernie Terrell in which Ali purposely demanded
Terrell to call him out by his real name and the Cleveland Williams
bout in which he proved that he was a great knockout puncher
validated his claim as the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of all time
(Jet).

Muhammad Ali was
too fast, too smart, and too skilled to be handled in the ring, and
his skills in the ring along with the negative disapproval he was
receiving as an outspoken member of the Nation of Islam made him one
of the most notable athletes of the 1960s.

But Ali had
another battle to face; in 1966, with the Vietnam War growing, the
military needed more draftees (Tyers,24). Years earlier, the
ex-Cassius Clay was not qualified to serve in the armed forces after
failing military examination twice, but because more draftees were
need to serve in the war, the qualifying score was lowered, making
Ali eligible for the draft (Tyers,24-25). As a dedicated fighter who
did not want to end his career and as a Muslim who didn’t have “no
quarrel with them Viet Cong,” he refused to be drafted.

Many Americans
felt that Ali betrayed them by betraying his country; those who
already felt that they were betrayed when Cassius Clay became
Muhammad Ali were enraged at this “loudmouthed draft-dodging Black
racist.” The sports writers had a field day criticizing him, saying
that he was a disgrace to America and to the boxing world. After his
brutal victory over Ernie Terrell, in which he was accused of
thumbing Terrell in the eye and in which he demanded that we call him
by his Muslim name, the battle between Ali and the Armed Forces
intensified (Hauser,26). Many people supported Ali and picketed
outside the United States Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Station
where the fighter was to be inducted as a draftee. But when Cassius
Marcellus Clay was called, the man refused to step forward as he was
required to do. After being warned that he would face severe
penalties for refusing to cooperate, Ali still refused to step up
when Cassius Marcellus Clay was called (Hauser,27).

The day that Ali
refused to be drafted into the United States Armed Forces, a previous
decision for the World Champ to be stripped of his title by the New
York State Boxing Commission was ready to take place (Jet). Ali was
indicted on May 8, 1967 by a federal grand jury in Houston, Texas
(Jet). He still disagreed strongly about taking part in the Vietnam
War, and many friends and fellow athletes like Jim Brown, Bill
Russell, and Kareem Abdul-Jabar admired Ali’s strong stance
(Ebony). But Ali was convicted in the trial vs. the U.S. armed forces
on June 19, and although his five-year prison sentence and
ten-thousand-dollar fine was overturned, his boxing passport was
finished, and the Heavyweight Champ was stripped of his belt
(Tyers,30). He was no longer the titleholder, but to the true boxing
fans, Muhammad Ali was still the true World Champ.

Muhammad Ali was
now banned from boxing, but life continued to go on. During Ali’s
exile, Black and non-Black Americans began to feel where he was
coming from and also refused to support the Vietnam War. Ali was
determined to get back into the ring to get his title back, and after
some going thru politics and an eight-round exhibition with three
opponents the Supreme Court decision to permit him to fight again
came later (Hauser,29). Ali was to return to the ring to fight a
tough and promising young fighter, the late Jerry Quarry.

In 1970,
Muhammad Ali was out to recapture the heavyweight crown that he and
loyal fans believed that he rightfully owned. Ali did win the fight,
but it was noticeable that the exile caused him to be slower than he
was in the 1960s (Jet). He began taking more punches instead of
dodging and dancing from them like he used to, but he was also
stronger this time around. Plus, Ali began to gain a remarkable
amount of earning power; the Quarry bout paid him more than any of
his past championship fights (Ebony).

With no time for
rest, Ali jumped back into training camp to train for the first of
three well-known bouts against the current World Heavyweight
Champion, “Smokin” Joe Frazier. The Ali-Frazier bout was taking
place on March 8, 1971, three months after Muhammad Ali’s second
fight after his return from his 3 1/2 year layoff (Ebony). This match
pitted two champs against each other; “Smokin” Joe Frazier became
champ after defeating Ali’s former amateur teammate Jimmy Ellis to
combine the WBA and New York Heavyweight titles. But since Ali didn’t
lose his title in the ring, many fans believed that he was still the
champ. And, since two undefeated champions were going head to head in
Madison Square Garden in New York City, the fight was going to be a
big event, with each man earning the previously unheard-of sum of
$2,500,000 (Tyers,31).

Frazier was a
tough opponent for Ali. The actual fight was even in the early
rounds, but Ali was absorbing more punishment than he ever did
before. In the fifteenth round, the unlikely happened: Frazier hit
Ali on the jaw with a bone crushing left hook that knocked him to the
canvas. Ali did bounce back up as fast as he went down, but when the
fight ended, it was clear that Frazier was the winner (Jet). It was
Ali’s first professional loss, and although his enemies were now
happy, he was not ready to quit.

Ali was ready to
go on a comeback trail to avenge his loss and to reclaim his
Heavyweight title. However there was talk still going on about the
ex-Cassius Clay belonging in jail for refusing to enter the Vietnam
War (Tyers,33). But after Ali’s side strongly debated this, the
U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reversed his conviction, and all
criminal charges were dismissed.

On March 13 of
that same year, Ken Norton gave Ali his second professional loss, but
Ali won the rematch with a close but unanimous decision (Hauser,30).
Ali-Frazier II eventually took place the next year, and although
neither man was champ, the fight was still a legendary one, with Ali
coming out as winner. Frazier demanded a rematch, but first, Ali had
to travel to Kinshasa, Zaire to get his title back from the current
undisputed World Champ, the indestructible George Foreman.

“The Rumble In
The Jungle” was to take place in Africa because Ali’s camp wanted
five million dollars for the fight against the new world champ (which
was a very large amount back then.) Don King, an ex-con and
up-and-coming boxing promoter, suggested that he could give both
fighters five million each if the fight was held in a foreign country
(Ebony). Also, Zaire’s president Mobuto Sese Seto was willing to
give up the money in order to get his name known all over the world,
and he figured that a championship bout featuring Muhammad Ali would
do it (Ebony). The American press did not hesitate to criticize the
choice of location, but Ali was excited about being in a place
operated entirely by Black people (Jet). Ali strongly believed that
since he was a strong believer in Allah, he would win his heavyweight
championship back. The original game plan discussed by Dundee was to
dance around and attack Foreman from long range.

Muhammad Ali
shook up the world once again when he regained the heavyweight crown
by defeating George Foreman in Zaire. His victory caused many of his
past critics to give up the respect that was owed to him, and
President Ford even invited him to the White House for a visit
(Tyers,40).

Ali went on to
successfully defend his title against Ron Lyle in Las Vegas and Joe
Bugner in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Jet). Next up was Ali-Frazier III:
THE THRILLA IN MANILA.

Muhammad Ali was
ready to fight Joe Frazier for the third time. In the first fight in
New York City, Frazier was champ; in the second one, neither man was
champ, but this time, Ali was defending the heavyweight title. The
tensions between the two came to a boil when the champ referred to
the challenger as a “gorilla” in a joint press conference before
the bout (Ebony).

After the
vicious battle in Manila against Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali stated
that the fight was the closest thing to death he knew of.

But the worst
fight that Ali fought was not against another boxer but against
Japanese professional wrestler Antonio Inoki (Jet). Despite heavy
criticism, Ali was determined to prove that a boxer can defeat a pro
wrestler in the ring and give the people their money’s worth. The
actual hybrid match was a boring event, with Ali throwing only six
punches in fifteen-rounds against a crab-walking Inoki. Three months
later, Ali faced Ken Norton for the third time, winning by decision.
As Ali’s boxing skills began to decline, so did his marriage.

In the late
1970s, with his health deteriorating, Ali and his camp were searching
for “easy” opponents. Someone who was a good choice was the 1976
Olympic gold medal winner Leon Spinks. Spinks’ promoter Butch Lewis
suggested to the champ that if he chose not to retire, he should
fight his man. Ali wasn’t about it at first, but after seeing
Spinks fight to a draw against a mediocre heavyweight (Scott LeDoux),
Ali decided that he wanted Lewis’s “easy” fighter (Hauser,39).

Since Ali was
now facing an “easy” opponent, he took it “easy” in training.
The hard work ethic that Ali was known for was nonexistent. Butch
Lewis took note of the “ass-kissers” in Ali’s camp while he had
Spinks whipped into excellent shape. All looked well until a sparring
session that took place about ten days before the Ali-Spinks bout.
Roy Williams, the sparring partner, hooked Spinks and caused a
painful muscle tear around the rib cage that opened up everytime he
lifted his arm a certain way. After fears of a postponement (which
would have caused critics to label him as a bum), Spinks received a
painkiller for his injury, and the bout went on as scheduled
(Tyers,45).

According to
many who witnessed the actual bout, it was very disappointing. The
out-of-shape Ali stayed on the ropes and assumed that Spinks was
going to punch himself out (just like Foreman in Zaire.) But instead,
Spinks punched nonstop. The painkiller wore off by round eleven, but
by this time, the pain meant nothing as the “easy” challenger
gained points against the once-unstoppable champ. And although Ali
had Spinks backed up in the last round, it was too late. For the
first time in his long career, Ali lost his title in the ring (Jet).

Despite offers
against folks who were even less credible than Spinks (even against
the idle Kent Green, the only man to knock out the ex-Cassius Clay in
an amateur match), Ali finally decided that it was time to retire.
The retirement allowed free time for Ali to travel around the world
as a diplomat (Hauser,55). After an embarrassing trip to Africa
(which can be discussed in detail in the book Muhammad Ali: His Life
And Times), Ali decided to return to the platform that allowed him to
be himself and impact people all over the world.

Against the
wishes of many people who cared about him, Muhammad Ali was ready to
come out of retirement to fight again. His mother, Odessa Clay, spoke
out publicly about not wanting her son to go back the ring, but even
she couldn’t change his mind.

Holmes had
doubts about fighting his mentor, but the contracts for the bout were
signed. While the fighters engaged in prefight hoopla, the
controversy over Ali’s health was getting bigger. Ali was speaking
softer and slower, and his reflexes were going down. But despite
this, the Nevada State Athletic Commission granted him a boxing
license. On October 2, 1980, twenty years after his very first fight
against Tunney Hunsaker, Ali stepped into the ring, weighing in at
217 pounds. It was a one-sided bout from the beginning, with the
younger Holmes taking advantage of his mentor. After ten rounds of
witnessing “an autopsy on a man who’s still alive” (Sylvester
Stallone), Ali’s corner threw in the towel. The fight was over
(Tyers,66).

With his health
deteriorating rapidly, somehow Ali had his mind set on fighting one
more match. Ali was determined to retire from boxing as a winner, and
his opponent was Trevor Berbick. Ali entered the ring for the final
time on December 11, 1981 (Jet). The bout started two hours late,
there were only two pairs of gloves for the entire under card, and a
cowbell was used for the ring bell. From the start, the actual fight
was a drag, with Ali looking sluggish while his mediocre opponent
showed little skill. When it all was over, the judges scored the bout
in Berbick’s favor (Hauser,77). The next morning, Ali finally
announced that he was leaving the boxing ring for good.

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